8 year old boy weighing 14 stone....who's to blame?

Question

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/26022007/397/family-faces-talks-obese-schoolboy-0.html

Answer 1

Is it really necessary for Yahoo to write 'Click to enlarge' next to his photo?

Answer 2

The article does not give enough information. If the mother was providing the foods that caused this and it is not a medical issue, then I don't understand why she is blaming the doctors. The doctors are not the ones that did this to him. Any adult with a brain would know a good diet from a bad one.

The mother said that nobody stepped in to help and nobody said there was a problem. She must be incredibly dense to not spot that on her own. She is placing blame on someone else so she won't look so bad but now has made herself look like a complete idiot and incompetent parent. I wish they investigated this stuff in the US..I see it all the time and it's not considered neglect.

Answer 3

The parents and the pediatrician have some share of the blame, and even the school should have sought intervention far earlier. A child this age is not mature enough to decide diet on their own.

The mother complains that the doctors didn't help enough, but at four times normal weight, she let this go on far too long to start blaming the system now. She presumably had control over what was fed to him and she clearly overfed him, unless he has a very rare disorder.

Someone should have reacted about 7 stone ago or earlier, and letting it get this bad is intolerable.

Answer 4

The article suggests it's down to bad diet. In all cases like this i fail to have sympathy for the parents because the child dose not know any better and they should give him a good diet and exercise not cry to doctors when his poor diet makes him fat.

Why do people not look for an answer before the point on no return there is a plethora of healthy eating materials available everywhere. Why should a doctor medicate a life style?

Answer 5

I think the parent's are to blame - they are the ones that have been feeding him junk food. However, I don't think he should be taken into care. That really is not the right answer and would probably scew him up for life. Probably better to have educated the parents a long time ago into what are good eating habits. Schools I guess should have some responsibility to provide help but ultimately it's up to the parents.

Answer 6

his mother and father are the main cause, other people around him have failed him too. tell me if any one knew about calorie content when they were 8. I have no respect for the mum and dad as when you decided to bring a child in to the world you have a responsibility to insure they are raised correctly, you don't need some one else to tell you your child is seriously over weight. It is a form of abuse and the mother and father should be interviewed by the services. I WILL NOT LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO SAY HE WILL GO AND GET FOOD IF THE MOTHER AND FATHER DONT BUY IT what a load of none sense, its the mother and farthers job to educate there child on whats right and wrong. I have two children and know they come first . I have a message for the mother you are a lazy woman who cares more about relaxing yhan taking care of her child, you have abused your own son.

Answer 7

Sorry but I've got to say the parents/guardians if he was fed a proper diet from a young child he'd be able to accept fruit/veg in his diet and the other healthy food on offer /by what i read in the paper this morning his mum's given up on trying to feed him good food and all he does is snack all day long she says if she doesn't feed him enough at tea time he nags until he's fed again on snacks and stuff,trying to figure out who is in control of the situation cause it's not his mum, I'd be embarrassed and ashamed of myself if my kids ever weighted that much .He weighs almost the same weight as my husband who is 40 and 6 feet tall .

Answer 8

Yeah fair enough you need doctors to help you with things like that. But come on! Who started this all in the first place? His mother. He may have something wrong with him, I agree. But he's only 8 and was 15 stone! My God that's awful. I have always stayed a healthy weight because of what my mother cooked me and let me eat. She must just let her boy eat whatever he wants, whenever he wants. I bet her cupboards are full of junk. What exactly could the doctor do when he's not the one giving him the food, his mother is.

Answer 9

I think that the boy may have some kind of problem and need to be helped as well as the parent's do. All of them are not guilty of abuse. Abuse is the willful harm or neglect of someone. They did not mean for him to be fat. They were trying to make him happy and in their efforts to do so, he became fat. Nobody did this on purpose. Child protective services should not have even been involoved. He needs a nutritionist and physical trainer to help him. I believe that he is big by nature and probably will have to fight weight for the rest of his life. Instead of condemming, educate. That is the best way for all involved.

Answer 10

The Parents to a certain extent but surelly his health services should be helping and even the boy needs a kick in the @ss, The parents need to be stricter, the Health service needs to help educate the boy ad the parents and the boy needs to get some serious will power.

Answer 11

The mother. i wouldnt normaly say anything about this subject but did u see her on GMTV this morning!!! she is the epitome of everything that is wrong with this country-she blamed everyone from social services to her doctor for not doing something sooner!! they showed a clip of the child sat on the sofa eating his dinner-well i say eating-inhaling would be more apt!! and the mother was nowhere in sight!! and when they asked the child would he care if he was taken off his mum he shrugged and just didnt seem to care!

people dont take responsibility for anything these days-including the behaviour of their children!!

maybe they should have sent her to parenting classes to learn how to cook some decent meals and snacks for her child, but there was no barrier to her learning how to do this herself when she noticed how big he was getting. the child was so inarticulate that i have my suspicions that she is feeding him to keep him quiet.

i dont think that when u have a child you automatically know how to be a good parent-especially if you yourself havent had the example, and instead of ***** footing around and bleating about human rights the government should step in and say if you are a young mum or someone who they dont think knows how to bring up a child they should have to attend parenting classes. by law.

and im not slating anyone-i was a teenage mum myself and i know how hard it is, but i can also admit the mistakes i made and ensure that i dont make the same mistakes with my younger children. i wish i had been sent to parenting classes, because you simply dont have the life experience to bring up a child, or to pass it on!